If you are going through hell, keep going Sir Winston Churchill
Does this quote with resonate with you at all?
Let’s face it, sometimes when the chips are down, it really does feel as if you are literally going through hell. When you experience so much pain, loss and disappointment it’s almost impossible to believe that it can get any better, however this is the time where you need to tap into every resource you possess and keep going.
Here are some tips to help you to do that
Isn’t it great to know that you are person in progress? Imagine how boring it would be to be the finished article! Every day will bring new experiences: some may well test you and some may well nourish you and bring with them some lovely surprises. It makes getting up in the morning well worthwhile. An acceptance of your limitations and a celebration of all your strengths and good points is important when you are feeling up against it.
It isn’t the time to start self sabotaging and challenging yourself. It is important to be kind and gentle with yourself as you would with any friend who was going through a bad time. So give yourself total permission to give yourself a daily dose of tender loving care.
To help you to keep going there will be times when you simply need to reach out for help. Some people take “I can cope!” to an extreme and believe they can do it all by themselves; however, we need to make positive connections and we need other people. Listening to how other people have kept going through pain and adversity can help to trigger ideas in our own minds. There is nothing to be ashamed of in reaching out.
Seeking out a counsellor, a coach or a mentor can be really useful to help you see another perspective . A good coach will help you to find your own answers by self-actualising through the process. Offloading some of your built-up anxiety and fears will help you to lighten your loads.
I think I used to adopt a bit of a gung-ho attitude to stressful times in my life and believe that “keep going” was all about “marching on” . I am beginning to understand, however, that the ability to keep going is also about pacing yourself, especially when life’s little conundrums are taking their toll. Slowing down and moving at a pace that you can cope with is very important, not just for your physical wellbeing, but also mentally and emotionally.
Some people have a tendency to start rushing around and over-occupying themselves when they get unhappy. All this does is mask the issue and then you bury, don’t deal with it – and then it will come back and bite you when you least expect it to.
During the last few years, I have been visiting some fascinating places as an international consultant with the United Nations. This has taken me to places like Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Beirut. The people I meet who work for the UN in Duty Stations and Peace missions are really diverse and have so many extraordinary experiences. People who have witnessed atrocity and those who have risked their lives tell me so often that what keeps them going is seeking out inspiration.
This may be about observing the actions of others or exploring more details about great leaders, reading books and taking inspiration from music or poetry or quotations.
Being grateful and counting your blessings no matter how challenging your circumstances can be the best tonic of all. I have come to appreciate that as long as you have something to love, something to do that gives you a purpose and something to hope for and believe in, then you will always have something to be grateful for. Even when you feel like giving up, if you keep the faith, there will always be opportunities waiting for you just around the corner so keep going!
I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed Michael Jordan